The Upper Tana-Nairobi Water Fund ( UTNWF) has unveiled an ambitious plan to expand its ongoing source water protection initiatives in the Tana catchment area.
The Fund, which was initially established by The Nature Conservancy, Nairobi City Water & Sewerage Company and Pentair to help secure the source of water for Nairobi, launched its five-years strategic plan that focuses on strengthening partnerships, cascading scientific and innovative approaches to source water conservation, and building a sustainable financial base to expand its outreach to an estimated 300,000 small holder farming community within the Upper Tana.
The launch of the 2022 – 2026 Strategic Plan follows a recent transition of the water fund into a fully independent organization and marks a new chapter that will see the very first water fund in Africa continue to expand its conservation activities while developing new partnerships as an independent conservation organization.
One of its immediate tasks is to capitalize the Sh500,00 million endowment fund that will guarantee the operations and activities of the fund in perpetuity.
So far, the water and soil conservation programs upstream have positively impacted lives and livelihoods of an estimated 50,000 smallholder farmers.
“We have grown the Upper Tana-Nairobi Water Fund to an organization that delivers tangible results for people and nature. This water fund is well on its way to becoming the first financially sustainable water conservation initiative in Africa”, said Eddy Njoroge, President and Trustee, Upper Tana-Nairobi Water Fund.
Over the next five years, the fund seeks to expand its farmers outreach program by an additional 20,000 households from the current 50,000 beneficiaries.
Furthermore, it plans to install an additional 5,000 water pans to the current 15,000. It also plans to increase forest coverage by planting 3 million more trees to hit a target of 7 million by 2026.
During the occasion, several corporates made contributions and pledges to boost the endowment kitty. East African Breweries Limited and KCB Group Foundation gave Sh5 million each while UPS Foundation contributed Sh2.5 million.
Covering a geographic area of approximately 17,000 hectares, the Upper Tana hosts two of Kenya’s most important sources of water and generates half of the country’s total hydropower and is the source of 95% of Nairobi’s water supply.
With funds raised from Global Environment Facility (GEF), private sector and corporate foundations, the water fund has engaged over 50,000 farmers with subsidized water pans, fruits trees, tree seedlings, napier grass, biogas cook stoves and drip irrigation kits among […]